History, Affiliations and Rankings
With a rich heritage of 125 years, Victoria University of Wellington is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in New Zealand that was established in 1897 - the year that marked Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee celebrations - and was named after the Queen herself. From a University with less than 250 students in rented accommodation, the University has grown to become a network of campuses, research centres, and partner institutions. Victoria University of Wellington is a "global-civic" University, meaning that it's a university with a global perspective that is closely involved with the local community - socio-culturally as well as economically, by creating impact through its academic and research activity. Academically it is affiliated with the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and also, holds the prestigious Triple Crown Accreditation. The University is a top-ranking institution, that falls among the top 2% of universities worldwide. According to Times Higher Education World University Rankings, it ranks in the bracket #501-600, while it is placed at #236 in QS World University Rankings for the year 2022.
Infrastructure, Campuses and Courses
Victoria University of Wellington has campuses across Wellington and Auckland. The largest and the main campus at Kelburn is a historic construction, located at the heart of Wellington. Other campus locations are the Pipitea campus, Te Aro campus, Auckland premises and the Miramar Creative Center. The University is organized into 9 Faculties, which are further divided into constituent Schools. These are - Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Law, Business and Government, Science, Health, Engineering, Architecture and Design Innovation and a School for Graduate Research. The University is known to have some famous research institutes worldwide, including the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Ferrier Research Institute, Victoria University Coastal Ecology Laboratory, Centre for Strategic Studies New Zealand, Adam Art Gallery, New Zealand Electronic Text Centre, and various others. Courses are offered at the Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels, along with accelerated degree programs and short courses. There are 5 Doctoral degree programs, in Nursing, Musical Arts, Midwifery, Health, Education and Philosophy offered at the University.
Accomplishments and Alumni
A top-ranking research University, Victoria University of Wellington is the only University in New Zealand to top the country's main measure of research excellence twice. In the past year, researchers at the University produced more than 2,200 publications. Through its research, the University has created a new piece of intellectual property for every $1.25 million of research funding - one of the highest return rates in New Zealand. Further, Victoria University of Wellington's Business School is an elite group of universities that hold the prestigious Triple Crown Accreditation - EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA - held by less than 1% of the universities worldwide. It is globally renowned for its excellent programs across a breadth of disciplines, with 10 subjects ranking in the top 100 worldwide. Victoria University of Wellington has an illustrious alumni list, some of whom include - Barbara Anderson, Sam Neill, Jane Campion, Dr John Money, and Dr Alexander Gerst.
Student Diversity and Visiting Companies
At present, Victoria University of Wellington has around 16,787 undergraduate students, and around 4,829 postgraduate students, out of which 3,400 comprise the international student population. Wellington, apart from being one of the safest cities in New Zealand, also has a population with a high happiness quotient; it ranks as the #3 Happiest City in the world to the World Happiness Report 2020. As a student at Victoria Wellington, you will be closely involved in the local, national and global communities. On campus, this takes shape of getting involved in the various student clubs, making international connections, or volunteering. There are also opportunities for leadership development, mentoring and global exchange offered by the University. ANZ, Xero, Bank of New Zealand, EY, Deloitte, PwC, Microsoft, Robert Walters and other corporations recruit graduates from Victoria University of Wellington.
